With the addition of a Mexican hothouse program, Baloian Farms is expanding its Bell pepper production, with availability through May.

A new partnership with Cueto Produce in Guadalajara, Mexico, provides expanded availability and loading options for Baloian Farms current year-round pepper program. The new hothouse program includes red, yellow and orange Bell peppers in a variety of packs including bulk, stoplight, sunrise and single color packs.

Bulk product will be available in the "BIOMAsur" label, and all consumer packs will be available in the "Pam Pak" brand.

The expansion of its Bell pepper volume comes on the heels of continued program growth that includes not only its traditional Bell pepper program, but its value-oriented oddbell pepper program and its premium, baby bell specialty program featuring BellaFinas.

"Bell peppers are a core part of our business, and our goal is to offer customers high-quality, competitively priced products and Mexican-grown hothouse peppers allow our customers another choice," Jeremy Lane, sales manager at Baloian Farms, said in a press release.

Research shows that purchase behavior for Bell peppers is up nearly 3 percent from 2011 to 2012 and that consumers noted that Bell peppers were one of the top vegetable items they were currently buying more of behind asparagus and avocados.

"We believe that the trends speak loudly, and it's our job to listen," Mr. Lane added in the press release. "Consumers are telling us with their purchase behavior that Bell peppers are an important part of their shopping basket, and we want to make sure that our retailers have plenty of SKUs to populate their category and give their consumers a choice."